Friday, April 18, 2014

The Carpathia in New York

The picture below shows all that remains of Pier 54 where the Carpathia docked on April 18, 1912 with 705 Titanic survivors aboard. From just the right angle you can still see the marks in the rusted metal from the words White Star and Cunard.

I don't know why there is no plaque commemorating the arrival of the Carpathia when interest still remains high for all things Titanic related. There was a tragic loss of life, of course, but 705 lives saved seems worth celebrating.

The Carpathia at Pier 54 in 1912

The Lusitania docked at Pier 54 in 1910

The Carpathia's maiden voyage was in 1903. She was put into military service during World War I and was torpedoed 3 times by a German U-Boat in 1918 and sunk off the coast of Ireland. Her wreck was not located until 2000.

Pier 54 before the 1991 demolition

Pier 54 was rebuilt in 1910 along with the rest of the Chelsea Piers. A fire meant another rebuild in 1932 and it was demolished in 1991. In its' heyday the luxury liners departed from these piers.